Filing appliance.



H. J. HIOK.

FILING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911'.

1,098,383, Patented June 2, 1914L 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

" a PE 2 l A? f; I 0 O /6 y In 4 t i mammmw i I APH 10., WASHINGTON D c H. J. HIOK.

FILING APPLIANCE. APPLIOATION TILED JULY 24, 1911.

1,098,383, Patented June 2, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, 0.1:.

55% fimd dlmm ran stares PATE ci ic HARRY J. I-IICK, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MGOASKEY REGISTER COMPANY, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

FILING APPLIANCE.

Original application filed February 23, .1910, Serial No. 545,550. Dividedand this application filed July 24, I

SerialNo. 640,151.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY J. HIOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new andnseful Improvements in and Relatmg to Filing Appliances, of which the following is a specification. a,

This invention relates to filing appllances which are adapted to receive and support in a removable manner papers, documents, bills or slips, whereby they can be filed 1n systematic order, inspected or altered, or removed at will.

This'case is, in part, a division of my application filed February 23, 1910, Serial No. 545,550.

For the purpose of illustration, I have, in the accompanying drawings, shown and herein described one form of filing appliance embodying my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a filing appliance embodying my invention, a part of the casing being broken away. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view, the holders being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 1s a front view of a portion of the casing, portions of the holders being broken away. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are detail views. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating the holders when overladen with papers.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable casing or housing for inclosing and supporting a set or series of holders 2. The casing 1 includes a back 1 and a support 1.

1 indicates one or more pivot supportmg or bearing members preferably fixed to the support 1".

The holders 2 are preferably of uniform size and provided on one or both faces with spacing ribs 2 and paper holding clips 2*. The holders are preferably connected together by pivotal devices, such as indicated at 3, which permit them to be assembled face to face and to swing relative to each other from one position to another, and vice versa. Such operation permits access to either face of each and every holder to be made, whereby papers or the like, which are held against their faces by the clips 2*, can be inserted or removed, or inspected or altered.

Preferably, the holders are normally arranged in an upright position. In this event,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June'2, 1914.

the front end holder, indicated at 2*, is provided with pivot devices 2 which removably engage the supporting or bearing members 1 about which the front holder 2 swings from the upright to the horizontal position, and vice versa. The operation of each holder 2 forwardly and downwardly, in the form of the invention illustrated will cause the lower or pivotal edges of the remaining holders to move forwardly and also effect a simultaneous upward movement of the holders, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, oper- The pivots 2 1', form the axis ation of the holders from the horizontal to the vertical position, effects a rearward and downward movement of the holders back to normal position.

The holders 2 can be operated in either case the forward and upward movements or the rearward and downward movements of the pivot edges of the holders will be in proportion to the number of holders swung at each operation.

4 indicates a guide device for the upper or free end of the rearmost end holder (indicated at 2) of the set of holders and operating to maintain the said rearmost holder and all the holders in front of it in a substantially vertical position as one or more of the holders 2 is or are operated. The guide 4 is pivotally supported at its inner end-on the back 1, as indicated at 4 wheredirection singly or in groups, but in either by it may be moved into guiding position.

4 indicates a stop, preferably ,arranged above the guide, for limiting its upward movement.

4 indicates a latch or hook device carried by the free end of the guide 4 and adapted to engage the frontmost end holder 2*, as shown in Fig. 1, whereby all the holders will be locked in their normal position. By slightly pressing upward on the guide 4, the latch 4 will disengage the holder 2 and permit it to swing outwardly and downwardly. When this operation takes place, the remaining holders will be moved upwardly thus moving the guide 4 into an inclined or guiding position. The guide 4 will remain in this position during the operation of any or all the succeeding holders except the last or rearmost holder 2, which will be held in its forward-most position by the latch 4. When the front I ingly mounted upon the back l in suitable guide devices 5 and adapted to engage the guide 4 at its upper end and to hold said guide 4 in a raised or slightly inclined position.

5 indicates a spring tending to normally press the rod or bar 5 upwardly, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

5 indicates a foot or projection carried by the rod 5 and arranged in the path of the lower edges of the holders as they move downwardly or backwardly into normal position. Preferably the end of the rod 5 opposite to the end that engages the guide 4, is bent outwardly to form the foot 5. This foot 5 also operates as an abutment for the spring 5'.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be seen that when all the holders 2 are returned to vertical position the rod 5 is moved downwardly against the tension of the spring 5 the latter operating as a cushion for the holders and arresting their movement without jar to the casing or supports.

hen the holders are operated, the spring pushes the rod 5 upwardly, thus when the set of holders 2 are removed from their support or supports for storing, the guide 4 is maintained in a raised position s0 that the holders can be replaced in the casing with out any manipulation of the guide 4.

The ribs 2 space the backs of the holders from each other to permit as many papers or slips, as may be required under ordinary circumstances, to be filed behind one or more of the lips 2*. When a greater number of papers or slips are filed behind one or more clips 2* the latter will expand outwardly and engage the clip or clips 2* on the adjoining holder, thus causing the adjoining holders to spread more or less at their free edges. Under such conditions the front holder 2 cannot swin rearwardly far enough to be locked by the latch 4. In order to permit the locking of the front holder 2 by the latch 4 under the conditions just described, I provide adjusting means, which may be interposed between the rearmost holder 2 and the back 1 of the casing, as shown at 6. These means preferably comprise a pair of telescoping members 6 6 one of which, 6 is fixed to the back 1, and a spring 6", which maintains the sliding member, 6, in an extended position. As will be understood from Figs. 1 and 5, the

member 6 serves as an abutment or stop against which the holder 2 rests when the holders are not over-laden with papers or slips, but when one or more of the clips 2 are overiilled, so as to separate the holders from each other, the member 6 will yield and permit the holders 2 to be moved rearwardly far enough to bring the front holder 2 behind the latch 4, as shown in Fig. 7.

6 indicates a stop preferably carried by the member 6 and movable in a slot 6 formed in the member 6 The stop (i engaging with the opposite ends of the slot 6 limits the movement of the member 6.

I preferably provide adjustable abutments 6 on opposite sides of the locking member 4 in order that the stress between the locking means and the abutment may be balanced.

To those skilled in the art of making filing appliances of the class described, many alterations in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of my invention will suggest themselves, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

My disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative, and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

What I claim is 1. In a filing appliance, the combination of a casing, a series of holders, means permitting their movement from a vertical position to a horizontal position and vice versa, means engaging with the frontmost holder for looking it in vertical position, and yieldable means, comprising a pair of telescoping members and a spring, against which the rearmost holder is pressed to permit the operation of the locking means.

In a filing appliance, the combination of a casing, a series of holders, means for pivotally supporting the holders upon the casing, clamping devices carried by the holders and arranged to support papers or paper slips, locking means carried by the casing and engaging the frontmost holder in the series of holders to lock the said series of holders in vertical position, and a yieldable device inteiposed between the casing and the rearmost holder of the series of holders against which the holders are pressed when the clamping devices are filled with papers or paper slips to permit the engagement of the locking means with the frontmost leaf of the series of leaves.

3. In a filing appliance, the combination of a casing, a series of holders piyotally mounted relative to the casing and to each other, a latch for engaging with the frontmost holder of the series, and a yielding abutment for the rearmost holder permitting the locking of the holders when they are overfilled with paper.

4. In a filing appliance, the combination of a casing, a series of holders normally arranged face to face in upright position in said casing, means permitting said holders to swing relative to each other, clips on one or both faces of said holders for supporting papers thereon and a pair of cooperating devices engaging the opposite end holders and between which said holders are held in normal position, one of said devices being adjustable to permit their operation when the paper clips are overfilled and the holders are separated from each other.

5. In a filing appliance, the combination of a casing, a series of holders normally arranged face to face in upright position in said casing, means permitting said holders to swing relative to each other, clips on one or both faces of said holders for supporting papers thereon and a pair of cooperating devices engaging the opposite end holders and between which said holders are held in normal position, one of saiddevices being yieldable to permit their operation when the paper clipsare overfilled and the holders are separated from each other.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY J. HICK.

lVitnesses:

GEO. C. RUssELL, HENRY F. PoLLooK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

.' Washington, D. C. 

